Recent Tasting Notes

I just tried this one again using approx 5 grams in competition tasting set.
This time it was a rather unremarkable tea. It did not have the freshness and clarity that it did last night.
I dont know if this is due to brewing parameters or to different leaves. After all, its a blended cake.

EDIT: just did another session using about 4-5 g in competition tasting set. The flavor is mild. I am starting to distinguish the ‘menghai flavor’ after tasting about 4 of their shengs. the 7542 at this age has hints of an almost ripe fruit to it.

Highlight of this tea is the exceptionally clean, clear, fresh flavor and mouthfeel along with a hydrating, thirst quenching quality.

I’ve been looking forwards to discovering what this classic ‘benchmark’ pu- er cake is all about. Its still very young at only 3 years. will be interesting to compare with an older vintage in the future.

Brewed 3 grams in a yixing pot.

Flavor is surprisingly mild. no bitterness or astringency at the strength that I brewed it.
lots of clarity in the brew, as if it has less ‘tea sediment particles’ dissolved in the water than other teas.

Most likely due to its young age, It does not have as strong or nuanced a flavor as many pu-er’s that I have had recently. Yet something about it makes me keep coming back for more. It seem to have that ‘umami’ flavor, and a nice, yet faint exhale sensation.

One of my all time favorites. Very easy to drink and sure to appeal to almost any palate. Very high quality compared to other teas in its price range and above. Reminiscent of the taiwanese’dark pearl’ tea that I sampled about 6 months ago. http://www.palaisdesthes.com/en/taiwan-dark-pearl-2146.html

By the 5th infusion, the flavor is plummy. subtle, yet distinct orchid
aroma rises to the nose seconds after each sip, much like the imperial
grade monkey king black.

Its no wonder that this black dancong is near the top of jkteashop’s hot sellers list. I quickly ordered another 50 grams to add to my premium stockpile, along with a few samples of other hot sellers. One thing I am learning about online tea shops is that it pays off to go for the most popular/highly rated. These are a safe bet and a great way to discover new gems.

Preparation

I just tried a tiny sneak-preview of this, putting about 0.5 gram of leaf in a small amount of boiling water.
Although I have yet to try a proper brew, I can already tell that this tea is excellent! Easily one of the best black teas I have ever tried.
Strong, obvious dan cong honey-flower fragrance, and…
much better flavor and mouthfeel than dan cong oolongs that I’ve tried!
This is much more flavorful, full bodied and smooth in the mouth.
Will be ordering a larger amount of this one to share with friends!

Both of these teas are nice and smooth, with a golden amber liquor, and a refreshing, clean taste.

Having unpacked the unmarkerd paper canisters from their platic bag, I left myself with no reference as to which one is the young or old tree, so I will refer to them as #1 and #2. This was accidental. However, It makes for an unbiased tasting experience.
I have sampled #1 twice and #2 once.

note: I have a cold at the moment and cannot clearly discern nuances of flavor and aroma. I will update this post once I have tried each tea a few more times under better conditions.

I brewed 5g of #2 with spring water, using a “standard competition tasting cup.” I let the water reach a boil and placed it in a steel thermos.

Seems pretty clear that #2 is the 400 year old tea. It really blew me away with its “Chaqi.”
The feeling is of something that comes from a remarkably pure, pristine place. there is a warm glow to the tea, it is refreshing, and deeply plesant to experience this tea.
I managed to brew approx. 1 liter of tea out of 5 grams of #2.

Verrrry interesting :) Basically – it’s a black tea made out of Dancong which is very obvious when you open the package – the fragrant smell of dancong tea is really strong. It is, however, veiled by roast notes which leaves you wondering “Is it a dancong tea, is it a black tea?”

First steep is more like a typical sweet dancong. Black’s notes are just that – notes. The more you steep however, the more flavour shifts towards black tea so I udnerstand why it’s listed as such.

One notable thing about this one – strong mouthfeel stays after you gulp it down. The one reminding of when you place the leaves in slightly wet gaiwain and the first smell is released. It’s probably the first tea that I can say has a fragrant mouthfeel. :)

Also, resteeps quite well. maybe 7-8 times before starting to become watery